Tag Archive | klunker

Just to keep myself honest with getting back to healthier eating, I’m going to try to get back to posting menu plans and recipes… I’ve tried so many new ones over the past few months, there is a lot to share!

I did receive 3 new cookbooks for Christmas. I had actually asked Santa for “Straight From the Earth” (by Myra & Marea Goodman) and so far I have enjoyed both recipes I tried. I have to admit, however, that both were a bit more time consuming than I would prefer, especially on a week night. So I’ll save those for days that I have a little more time to cook.

Over the weekend I made Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce. My only modification was to reduce the olive oil. The dish was quite tasty, but I have made a similar dish from Forks Over Knives (Mushroom Stroganoff) that I liked just as much with, seemingly, less work — and no oil. I will admit to using regular sour cream in place of the tofu sour cream in the FOK version, but that’s only because I’m intimated by tofu. (I definitely need a class!)

The second recipe I tried from this particular book was Baked Falafel Pitas with Chopped Greek Salad and Roasted Cashew Sauce. I should have guessed by the long name that this was going to take a while…3 separate pieces. None of hard, but collectively longer than I would spend on a school night meal. This one had a few modifications, mostly just to reduce the oil. Next time I try this one, I am going to try for a complete elimination of the oil. I also did not bother to roast either the cashews or the pine nuts.

Chopped Greek Salad: I eliminated ALL the oil and didn’t miss it. I actually enjoyed this and would eat it as a side salad just by itself.

Roasted Cashew Sauce: I clearly didn’t realize this part called for 1/4 cup of oil. Yikes, that’s a lot of nutrient free fat! Because I was afraid of ruining the consistency, I reduced it to a 1/8 cup. But next time I think I would eliminate completely and see how it goes.

Falafel: Again, I eliminated the 2 tablespoons of oil in the mixture, and I did not grease the pan (I used a Pampered Chef stone and had no issues with sticking. Use parchment if needed, but skip the oiled pan.)

I actually really, really enjoyed these! Plus leftovers for lunch!

*****

Tonight I opted for quick and simple, borrowing from fellow McDougaller and recipe creator extraordinaire, Michael Klunker. He’s got a slew of great recipes on his site, Klunker’s Kitchen. I love a recipe where you throw everything in one pot and just cook. Easy clean up, easy prep. For his Insanely Easy Potato Corn Chowder, I love that a few of the ingredients were frozen, so that makes prep even easier. Limited chopping (potatoes, carrots, onion and celery), one pot, 13 minutes in the Instant Pot, and a quick spin of the immersion blender, and this was done in short order.

The soup was delicious as is! I think my only tweak for my personal taste is a bit less onion and I would add some more corn. Enough for 3 for dinner, plus leftovers! When you check out this recipe, you should see what else Michael has on his page. Would love to hear if you find any others you enjoy!